Decades: Chunks of Time

Akara and Fried Yam, Courtesty Pinterest (Nigerian Foodies) GOOD DEED: THE OKADA RIDER Some nights ago, I closed late and so I had to patronize an okada rider. For those outside the shores of Nigeria , we have what we call okada riders in almost every city in our country. Imagine someone with a motorcycle, carrying passengers for a fee. That's an okada rider. At first they were a new means of livelihood for many, then they became a nuisance, especially when they were being used for robberies and attacks. Various cities now have laws governing their working times and where they can operate, if at all. Okada riders are allowed to patronize the areas where my office is, and where I live, so its quite easy for me to use them from one location to the other. So, on that night, I hailed one of these 'transporters' to take me home. After negotiating the price, the man asked how much I was holding. It turns out he would need to break down the money he had to be able to ...

I don't think I can forget Tuesday the 7th of October 2008 for a long long time. I can still see the scene vividly. I came down a pedestrian bridge that morning, and continued walking in a hurry as I was late for an appointment, when something terrible happened. An okada tried to cross to the sidelane (on a four lane road), when it suddenly overturned, at full speed. The passenger got dragged a few feet before being separated from the bike. The okada rider (as we call them), had jumped and landed a few feet away. I stood frozen in place, praying that the passenger had not died, he sat up slowly, and glanced at his laptop bag a few feet away from where he'd skidded to a halt. That was when I noticed his leg. His left leg had broken....at the shins. That is after the knee...it had broken forward at an unearthly angle...and he sat there watching it. People ran towards him...there was a wail of agony at the incident. I still shudder when I picture it. He was just staring at the leg...